A Little Bit of Family, A Whole Lot of Food, with a Little Bit of Life Thrown In.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Love Is In The Air

And I'm not talking about the icky gooey mushy luuuuv stuff. The winds of change are afoot in the food blogosphere, and I for one, am rather excited about it. I've been a part of this community for a year and a half now. Every day I spend time perusing my favorite blog links, and I'm always on the lookout for a fresh new blog to garner inspiration from. Lately though, there has been a shift, so to speak.

For a while there, it seemed that food bloggers were headed for superiority. Whose blog can be the best, and by golly, whose blog can eschew the most prepared foods, eat only local, organically, or raw. And, most importantly, those bloggers seemed to feel the need to scoff "the lesser bloggers" for their own food choices. Oh my gosh, someone used cream of mushroom soup? That person should be shunned from the food blogging community. So and so used a store-bought pound cake for their dessert? Such poison will never touch my lips- it must be homemade, made from all organic and locally purveyed ingredients. And I will admit, for a short while, I was caught up in the hoopla.

It seems the root for food blogging, the core reason for food blogging is coming back. Why do we blog? Other than to share stories of home or of times past, or of a disaster just that afternoon in the oven. We share our oft-times misadventures for the pure love of food and what we eat. We share about how a newly discovered dish brought sheer joy to the mouths of those we feed on a daily basis. We take pictures so we can share with the world the gastronomical delights we created. And it's all for the love of food. For putting something delicious and nourishing into our mouths. Whether that be a meal out at a 4 star restaurant, or an odd concoction, created with just a few humble ingredients.

Most food bloggers are not Iron Chefs, nor are we trained in a culinary way in any aspect (there are certainly exceptions to that, and more popping up every day). But we love food, whether it be a plate of foie gras or a plate of blue box macaroni and cheese- it's all nourishing to different souls in different places. What I love about the food blogging community is the diversity! We have food bloggers from all over the world- how can we not be diverse. And there are blogs about eating locally and seasonally- I love those. There are blogs about regional cuisine- Indian food anyone? There are blogs about specifically cooking for kids, and there are blogs that chronicle a food allergy- such as dairy or wheat. There are blogs devoted to baking, cookies, spices, and herbs. And there are the blogs by the travelers, telling us where they've been and where they are going. There are the lunchbox blogs, and the breakfast blogs, and the blogs from culinary students going through the fire. There are the blogs focused on a dietary change, and we all watch as person x attempts to eat vegan for a month. There are vegan blogs and vegetarian blogs, and there are the blogs devoted to meat and charcuterie. I could go on and on! There are so many wonderful blogs, and I love reading each and every one.

What I don't enjoy are the pushers. Those who insist that their way of eating is the only way, and they spend their time drifting from blog to blog bashing others for their chosen preferences. And what I've noticed as of late is that those people are getting fewer and farther between. There is love in the air. Food bloggers are in love with food, and there is a decision being made to enjoy each other's food without the spite and snark. More of the "thanks for sharing that recipe! I'm going to try and develop a gluten free version." Instead of "how dare you make something that is not gluten free. Don't you care about blah, blah, blah...?" Manners and politeness are returning, and it is a wonderful thing.

So having said all that, I want to point my readers and fellow bloggers in the direction of my new friend Mimi. Mimi blogs at French Kitchen In America, and not only does she share the most wonderful stories and memories, but she also cooks some amazing food. And let me tell you, she sure has me hankering for a trip to France sometime in my lifetime. Mimi has put together a blogging event to honor the foodie in all of us. To say to those who persist that we are all tired of the snobbery and the snarkiness. For March 15 has been declared Biscuit Baking Mix Day, and you can head on over to French Kitchen In America for the details, and I encourage everyone to accept the challenge and get creative with the humble box of baking mix.

Lol. Mimi, I did change the date... sorry for the goof. :-) I like that Beware the Baking Mix Day...

Kalyn, it could just be that I'm in an optimistic mood these days, and it could be that this is the time of year for comfort food, so everyone is happy, but overall I do think that bloggers are being nicer overall.